And Here Lays
by Roxie Zeke
Summary: NaruSasuSaku. and any variation. Upset and Short-Tempered. Prompts 1-20/? "It took effort to deal with Sasuke."
1. Crash, Eternal, Dismiss, Cheat, Glass

**1. Crash** (SasuSaku)

The fall from a high horse hurt, the crash to the painful ground was like having the darkness coil around his heart and break away the veins and snap the nerves from his spinal cord and devour them whole. He crashed to the ground when Sakura managed to get around his team, when she pulled back her gloved fist, and he could see the chakra swirl around in her hand and how it would form a very painful punch and the realization that not only he had grown, but the rest of Team seven, his friends, all of Konoha had grown as well. Sasuke grit his teeth and let vengeance take a hold of his mind once again even as Sakura's fist smashed down over his nose; he was here for a _reason_, a reason, damnit, and he wasn't going to mess this one up as well. Itachi needed to die before he could even feel pity for the people, the life, he left when he let the final blow plow across Naruto.

Sakura reeled back and contracted her muscles and Sasuke could see the tears smearing down her checks and could see her next move. So he stepped aside and pulled out his blade, one hand holding Sakura by the neck.

If he said her name then, things might had have turned out different.

He could hear Naruto behind him, screaming and yelling and he could feel the red chakra lash his back but more than ever he could feel Sakura's heart-beat. Fast, erratic, terribly moral and petty. Sasuke didn't even flinch when Sakura broke his thumb while trying to pry his hand off her throat.

"Sasuke," She managed to get out from behind gritted teeth and the tone was so painful but so lost when it funneled in one ear and out the other.

The final blow was quick and unforgiving, and not nearly as fatal as it should have been. Orochimaru had said he was still too soft. Sasuke turned to Naruto and he knew, when it came to his final blow, that he wouldn't fail again, because he had one reason to live and unfortunately, Sakura and Naruto only stood in his way like they always had.

When Sasuke moved away from Sakura, leaving her panting and gasping and bleeding, he didn't spare her even a glance.

**2. Eternal** (SasuSaku)

She strived, day in day out, to gain power. She wasn't like Naruto, who had been cursed with his personal demon which side effects included chakra that just didn't stop flowing and a power source that kept pumping out power even when his body was rendered useless. She needed more power, if not for herself then for that bastard.

Power is eternal, the only real thing that could sway tides. Friendship was expendable, family was expendable and Sakura didn't know when she had become so cynical. She had cried daily for so long maybe she had just run out of tears sometime, run out of all those emotions that made man compassionate.

She needed to train; she needed power to bring Sasuke back to convince herself that the world wasn't so cruel- that bonds, heavy bonds laden with subtext and dependence, couldn't be so easily shattered. She knew she was being incredibly selfish but she swore this would be the last self-indulgence she'd give herself as every chakra-bound blow hit the target and warped it beyond recognition.

**3. Dismiss** (NaruSasu)

Sasuke had always just waved Naruto off as a dobe, as dead-last, as _worth nothing but dog shit on the bottom of his shoe_, but at some point Naruto had transformed like something had snapped and broken and shattered inside the blond idiot and Sasuke wasn't sure if he should have been scared of just amused because not matter how hard Naruto tried he'd just never reach the level Sasuke was perched on. It just wouldn't happen and Sasuke knew Naruto knew and Sasuke was so amused by the futile attempts at trying to restore his faith in Konoha.

His eyes sometimes flickered with nostalgia, with yearning, when he remember the way Naruto had held him so tightly, the way the tears plopped on his cheeks and how viscous that red chakra had felt; he had been dead but he could still feel the anguish, the rage. _The hate that rivaled his hate for Itachi._

The way his heart clenched and how his throat tightened as he ran his fingers over the tiny pin-point scars that decorated his neck was painful and Sasuke had easily dismissed the feeling like he dismissed Naruto's attempts at getting to his level of power.

**4. Cheat **(NaruSasuSaku)

It smelt a little like alcohol; the apartment, that is, the one Naruto lived in. Sakura could hear the blond grunting as he trained and pushed his body and made himself spasm in a fit of pain and how he just kept on going and going. She could vaguely hear Naruto chanting something that sounded a lot like "_Trash, trash, trash, dead last, trash," _And it didn't come as new news that Naruto was still doing the stupid things he had done in the beginning, back when Team 7 was actually Team 7 and Sakura could feel the emotional strain it had on her, she could feel her mental wellbeing unravel everyday she was away from Sasuke and she knew, she just had the gut feeling it was hurting Naruto more because he just couldn't stop needing and pushing and wanting and cursing Sasuke.

Sakura closed her eyes and sat down by the coffee table, her legs folded underneath her and her green eyes closed tight as she started to organize Naruto's scrolls and magazines and whatever else he had thrown half-mindedly to the table.

Sakura would be the last to admit that she needed, wanted, strived for Sasuke just as much as Naruto did just for face, because she knew Naruto would only complement her for her fighting spirit and being so clingy and stupid and star-crossed was the last thing she wanted to be praised for.

As she cleaned and organized, she heard the chant clearer than she had before. _Trash, dead last, bastard, cheater, dobe, trash, trash, trash…"  
_

**5. Glass** (NaruSaku)

So many things were made of glass: windows, doors, _hearts, bonds_… and it hurt every time one shattered, every time he stepped on the shards and how they dug into his feet and how kyuubi healed the soles so fast that the glass was trapped inside and it was cutting open tendon and flesh and it hurt so bad every time something shattered and every time Sakura wasn't there to remove the shards from his foot.

There were still shards that Sakura couldn't touch, couldn't heal, couldn't remove from his being.

Kyuubi, isolation, desolation, _Sasuke_. They hurt and stung and dug and Naruto could only howl in pain as they clawed into him and tore tiny paths and Naruto wished Sakura could fix everything, any thing, but she just couldn't and Naruto couldn't place that burden on her lithe shoulders and he didn't want to shoulder it himself but he had to because it was the right thing to do. So when Sakura sat next to him in Ichiraku Ramen and picked at the noodles half heartedly, Naruto would lean over and lean his head on her shoulder, "Someday, Sakura, someday soon you won't need to try anymore."

The way Sakura didn't reply signaled to Naruto that she knew what he was talking about.


	2. Soft, Open Your Eyes, Shame, Starlight,

**6. Soft **(?Saku)

Her lips were so soft to touch; trembling petals on a full grown cherry tree. His fingers played gently over the delicate pink flesh and, slowly, he sealed the gap between their bodies.

**7) Open your Eyes** (NaruSasu)

Naruto had him pressed up against the wall, hands grasping the collar of his shirt, his teeth bared and blue eyes blazing. He was screaming something and Naruto was screaming back and it eventually got to the point where Naruto drew back his fist and brought it down sharply across his face.

Sasuke just spat blood at him.

The blond shook Sasuke and brought his fist back again and yelled, "Why can't you open your fucking eyes! Are you blind or something?"

This time Sasuke punched Naruto across his cheek and pushed the dobe away from him, flipping their positions this time with his forearm against Naruto's neck, eyes bleeding red and he pushed on Naruto's neck harder, "My eyes are open, you little fuck."

All Naruto did was grit his teeth and looked out the window of the room, and saw the sakura blossoms flitter to the ground as they detached from their tree. Naruto then turned back to Sasuke and growled: "No, they're not."

**8) Shame** (NaruSasuSaku)

It was so completely shameful. Sasuke was a fine young man, a proper ANBU along with Naruto and Sakura, and he had yet to be married, yet to even have someone he would consider to marry. Of course he viewed Sakura and Naruto as candidates for his affections, but that would be so shameful. Marrying his former-teammates. Sasuke wasn't even sure if he wanted to marry. Sure, it would bring down the Uchiha name but after what Itachi did, not much could ground it into the ground more_besides _marrying another male or a woman with not outstanding techniques and no real power.

Naruto hung out uselessly in his house, lying around on the couch and eating his food and not wearing a shirt. So when Sasuke came back from one of his missions and found Naruto asleep on his couch he didn't pull out a kunai and when he saw Sakura in his kitchen baking something he didn't slit her throat. He was used to having pets.

"Sakura." Sasuke greeted, leaning on the doorframe, eyeing the pink-haired women dully.

Sakura turned around and face him, her short hair flipping in the air and she hid what she was making behind her back. She stuck out her tongue, "Sasuke."

"Dobe's asleep on my couch." Sasuke complained as he advanced on Sakura, a smirk building as Sakura took a step back, protecting whatever was behind her back with her body.

"I know." She said dully, rolling her eyes, "He's always asleep." She eyed the amount of space Sasuke had drawn between them and sneered lightly, an expression foreign to her face, "Back off a little, I'm doing something."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and leaned over, his lips brushing Sakura's ear and his arms reaching around her waist, grabbing the plate that was behind her back before pulling away, eyeing the tiny cupcake, "A cupcake." He stated, sniffing it before nibbling, purely out of habit.

"A cupcake." Sakura reiterated, pursing her lips together, "Now go wake up Naruto, he was supposed to do your laundry this time but he just slept."

**9) Starlight** (Gen)

Naruto had developed a habit since everything had blown over, since everything turned out. He would just lie somewhere at night and look up at the sky. Sakura had to say he looked very pale in the moon light and that it didn't suit him, but when she saw how his eyes closed and how the stress that wouldn't leave his jaw final dissipated; she realized she couldn't interrupt Naruto in whatever he was doing. She would watch him for a while; she would just sit on the tree branch, her own pale skin luminescent in the starlight, in the moon light.

She wondered if Sasuke wondered where they were, she wondered if he even realized they were gone. Then she would smile, and realize that, yes, of course Sasuke realized they were gone and that, yes, he must wonder about where they were.

**10) Strength** (Gen)

It was strength that drove him to push and pull and rip and break and force himself to feel the pain that kyuubi couldn't fix fast enough, it was that ever-present weight on his chest that made him need to be stronger, made him need…

Naruto didn't know what he needed. He needed so much. He needed Sasuke, he needed Sakura, he needed, he needed, he needed he just needed so much for him to even be anything akin to content and everything was being torn away from him so savagely and it was maiming him and he just didn't want to take it, he couldn't take it anymore because he was so close to snapping he needed something and he was just feeling so tired. Tired and run-on and needy.


	3. Over, Engage, Voice, Pauses, Soothe

**11) Over** (NaruSaku)

The ground came so fast and Naruto realized with painful clarity that it was all over. Sakura had fallen beside him and Sasuke wasn't doing much better and Naruto knew it was over and that there was nothing more he could do.

Kyuubi howled with laughter as Naruto felt tears sting his eyes and as his hand placed itself over Sakura's delicately.

**12) Engage **(NaruSasu)

They weren't play fighting, Sakura realized dimly as she trained with Kakashi-sensei. They weren't even rough housing they were actually attacking each other, hateful words and blood-filled roars of agony. She stopped briefly when Kakashi decided he'd better take a look at the duo and they both just stood there watching as Naruto and Sasuke tried to seriously maim each other. Sakura fluffed her hair and scoffed after a while of watching it and Kakashi pocketed his book once again.

"They're sure engaged in their battle…" Sakura murmured as she, herself, engaged a sparring session with Kakashi-sensei.

"I wouldn't expect less from those two," Kakashi grumbled from behind his mask, "always going at it, they are."

Kakashi just smiled perversely to himself when he saw the blush spread across Sakura's cheeks.

**13) Voice** (SasuSaku)

She had a voice. It was broken and fragile but she had a voice still and that was all that mattered. She would smile, pink lips curved up and forming cute little dimples, "It's not your fault," She would whisper, voice cracking and breaking.

Sasuke reached out and brushed his fingers across the bandages on her throat and he made a grim face; but the silence lingered.

Her icy-green eyes just looked at him and she brushed her finger tips over his lips, and she could only mouth what she wanted to say next because her voice was gone, "I don't blame you."

**14) Pauses** (??)

A simple pause sufficed all the opening he needed and suddenly they were pressed close despite the screaming and cursing and it felt more like home than a bed ever could.

**15) Soothe** (NaruSasu)

Calloused, war-weary fingers ran over the bandages that he kept around his neck so when he looked into anything that cast a reflection he couldn't see the tiny puckered scars of the senbon that… Naruto smiled and Sasuke just looked put-off, like he always did, "What're you doing, asshole?" Sasuke grit out, keeping his eyes on the doorway that Sakura was supposed to come in through at any moment now.

Any moment.

Naruto brought his hand away and just grinned eat-shit at him and winked, "What do you think I'm doing, Sasuke?" He taunted, wiggling his fingers around, "I can't believe that you've actually covered those up." Maybe Sasuke was imagining it, but Naruto sounded a little upset. But it was the wind, it _had_ to be. And it was also just the wind that made Naruto's little caress soothing to his mind.


	4. Trouble, Naked, Fatality, Effort, New

**  
16) Trouble** (NaruSaku)

The air was thick and heavy with rain by the time Naruto and Sakura had managed to out maneuver Konohamaru and his little gang. Naruto tumbled onto the ground, rolling around as he let out the laugher he'd been hiding for what felt like ages, "That was excellent!" Naruto choked out, tears leaking out of the side of his eyes from the laughter.

Sakura had to lean on the nearest vertical object to keep her feeting as she clutched her gut, "Those poor kids! We could be kicked out of Konoha!" She threw her head back and laughed nearly as loud as Naruto.

"They'll never be the same!" Naruto yipped, trying to get up but he just collapsed into another fit of laughter, "Their faces were priceless! Sakura, we have to do that again sometime!"

The pink haired girl shook her head, "I'm not going to do anymore pervy things with you!" but her voice didn't hold any promise and they just continued to howl with laugher until the rain did come down in thick, fat drops, but that didn't even damper their spirits.

**17) Naked** (NaruSasuSaku)

Naruto liked to be naked. He blamed it all on kyuubi, "Damn fox," He'd curse, "Likes being natural or something." He would squint his eyes and rub the back of his head and Sakura would let out a harsh puff of air.

"That doesn't mean you can just walk around without anything on!" She'd scold, puffing out her chest and pursing her lips, "It's indecent and wrong, you perv!"

Naruto would pout and scuff the ground with his hair, "Yeah, well, don't you like not wearing anything?"

Only the wind answered and Naruto felt maybe he shouldn't have asked as he spotted a blood vessel about to pop on Sakura's forehead. She was flushed in anger and her fists were curled around into a formidable ball, "If that was," She growled, her voice holding so much promise as to pain, hurt, and blood, "What I think it was then you're going to get it."

"If it was Sasuke you wouldn't mind half as much," Naruto coddled, jutting his lower jaw out and crossing his arms, "Besides, Sasuke isn't nearly as la-"

Sakura's shriek of blood-lust tore through Konoha and the breaking of a stone wall was heard shortly after.

**18) Fatality** (gen)

Breathing was hard.

It sapped so much of his energy that he could maybe twitch a finger if he put all of his power into it. His world was bleeding in and out of reds and browns, blood and dirt. He saw a little orange, maybe a little pink, but he couldn't be sure because everything was so hazy.

His eyelids felt so heavy, so very heavy.

So he closed them.

**19) Effort**(SasuSaku)

It took effort to deal with Sasuke, he was as prickly as a hedgehog and about as cute as one. But Sakura felt it reasonable to deal with him, so she did.

**20) New **(gen)

It was a new deal, no deal kinda thing. If he said no now there would be no future but if he said yes the future would be damaged beyond repair. New deal no deal and it wasn't fair that it was all his choice and not someone else's but he decided to grasp onto the pink and blue charms he had in his coat pocket and he step up to the spot light and say, bravely, "New deal. I'll figure out how to fix it."


End file.
